..and let me know what you think! It is helpful? Does it help interest you or know what is between the pages of new magazines? I’d be interested to get your feedback! Thanks!

Opening the Pages of…

Welcome to a new column/new page many asked for, and I apologize for the delay, but here it is. This page gives you a peek onto what particular magazines are popular for, what they entail, and what is inside. With so many periodicals available (hence, they come out PERIODICALLY, so sometimes referred to as periodicals!) – this will serve as a brief guide about why you should be interested… so without further ado. Let’s take a look at the first onto kick this column off, Opening the pages of…

The New Yorker May 5, 2014

I never actually opened a New Yorker. I have been aware of the cover illustrations and the cartoons being of political and social interest and popularity, but there is much more than I was aware of. In simply looking at this issues’ Table of contents, you see writers from various ethnicities and background just in the names, Stuart, Shattacharjee, Lipsyte, Bersberian contributing the cover, then you also notice many of the advertisements on the first page are guides to the latest Broadway show, sometimes off broadway, as well as the recommended books. It seems you do not have to stray outside of these pages to see what is happening in New York at the time.

Despite being a guide to the heartbeat of the New York streets, you see a bio on the contributing writers, as you delve deeper, information on the electronic version of The New Yorker, containing podcasts, slideshows, videos, infographics, and more.

Also a section titled Goings on About Town, provides a handy text version of the app you can download, this in the magazine in the form of a calendar, letting you know what is happening yes, About the town…

I think the letters to the magazine, a section titled The Mail, are really more interesting than most, the first in this issue actually being from Cesar Chavez’s son and addressing the reality of his life based on an article that have been written previously to the New Yorker. Whoa. I think that is pretty powerful in itself. These can be submitted via

themail@newyorker.com

I like the directories that give you what is happening in New York, from Classical Music, to Art, dance, movies, theatre, food & Drink, Night life, (in this case Nigerian figure/artist William Onyeabor) it is detailed and informative.

The Talk of the Town heads and directs your attention to specific issues of the time, in this case religious freedom, and discussing the controversial topics of same-sex marriage. It’s funny for the next several pages, topics of discussion that stemmed from what the people are looking for in food around town (the latest craze and trends) to films, to style that has been seen and heard around New York.

I have to tell you, this copy sat around for a few weeks, seeing the copy (the word copy in magazines and yearbooks usually refers to the actual print in the magazine) is intimidating because there is so much of it. Yet – once I finally sat down and delved in, WHOA. These are the topics I came across that I honestly never knew, Details on the capture and escapades of El Chapo, (Hey! That relates to the area I am in now!), discovering a musician by the name of Sharon Van Etten, realizing what a revolutionary designer, rebel, and tragic designer artist Charles James was, discovering new biographies of John Quincy Adams and finding out what a oxymoron his life was, and this is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak.

The reviews of more bestsellers coming on, shows, humorous stories that are similar to yes, what you’d see in Reader’s Digest, and even info on new apps are represented.

Eclectic, busy and diverse, sinceI dived in, I realized how involved you feel when you put The New Yorker down, and all this time…I got the feel of high society without ever stepping out into the streets that make up Broadway and more like I have done before. I always said I wanted that feel when I walked into a “good” movie, and you feel this New York spirit between the very pages of The New Yorker.